The Golem and the Jinni, by Helene Wecker (2013)
The Golem and the Jinni, by Helene Wecker, is a debut novel, and what a debut it is! As implied by the title, it is about a Golem, a creature in Jewish folklore, and a Jinni, a mythical creature in the Arab world. The most famous golem was created by Rabbi Loew of Prague in the 1500s to protect the Jews of the city from attacks by their neighbors. In Jewish folklore, a golem is made of clay, becomes animated and has supreme strength.
This novel is set at the beginning of the 1900s and is mostly set in New York City. Otto Rotfeld is a failed Polish businessman who wishes to seek his fortune in the New World. He approaches a man he believes to be a mystic and asks him to create an obedient, but curious wife to accompany him in New York. The mystic complies, but warns Otto not to utter the words to awaken the woman until after he arrives in the New World. Otto, of course, cannot wait that long and utters the word to bring his golem-wife to life while about the ship crossing the Atlantic. Otto then promptly dies, leaving the Golem to fend for herself in New York.
The Golem has the ability to hear the thoughts of the people around her. Shortly after arriving in New York, she encounters a rabbi who recognizes her for what she is. He takes her under his wing in an attempt to protect her.
Around the same time, a tinsmith working in New York is repairing a flask, when suddenly the Jinni, who had been trapped in the flask for centuries is suddenly freed.
Eventually the two meet. Both appear to be human, but have powers beyond human capability. The golem is made of clay and is cold. The jinni is of a spark of fire and knows that water can destroy him. Both have to constantly remind themselves to behave as humans ~ the golem must remember to appear to breathe; the jinni must remember that he can cause burns with his touch.
The two lead separate, but intwined, lives. Each interact with the people of New York. The jinni meets the beautiful and rich Sarah Winston and sneaks into her house at night. The golem gets restless at night and wanders the streets, even though for a mortal woman, such wanderings would be dangerous. The jinni is sly with little moral guidance; the golem must obey her nature, although she has no master.
We meet the real people who encounter the Golem and the Jinni. All these characters truly come to life.
This is one of my all time favorite books. It held up upon a second reading several years after the first time I read it.
5 Stars
Read: December 27, 2018; June 8, 2013
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